School celebrates a decade

Community, alumni welcome at Bear Valley Middle's anniversary event

ESCONDIDO  Bear Valley Middle School leaders are calling on community members to save the date for a 10th anniversary event.

The Bear Valley Middle School 10-Year Anniversary Celebration will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 16, at the school, 3003 Bear Valley Parkway S. The celebration is free and open to the public.

The event’s organizers — Bear Valley teachers, administrators, and the PTA — said they are hoping the entire school community attends: alumni; current, former and future Bear Valley families; and current and former faculty and staff members.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to see what we offer in comparison to other schools,” PTA volunteer Lisa Lizalde said. “This is an opportunity to see what (Bear Valley is) about.”

Organizers have invited local officials to the event, including Escondido Mayor Sam Abed, City Council members, district superintendents, and school board members.

Lizalde said organizers were committed to showing the community how much the school has grown and its accomplishments over the past decade.

Activities and demonstrations will be underway throughout the campus, showcasing such areas as art, robotics, AVID, student government, the student-run TV station, and WEB, a peer leadership-mentor program. Band students will be performing in the school’s multipurpose room.

Dinner from The Wrangler Barbecue will be available for $5, and hot chocolate, cookies, and popcorn also will be available for sale. The anniversary celebration is also a fundraiser, and will include a 50/50 drawing and a silent auction of themed gift baskets. Proceeds will go toward the effort to buy an electronic marquee for the school.

Bear Valley Middle and Farr Elementary schools opened in August 2004, enabling the K-8 Escondido Union School District to eliminate its multitrack, year-round schedules. Voters in 2002 approved a $46.3 million bond measure, which helped to fund the construction of four new schools and renovations at more than a dozen others.